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Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important agricultural crops worldwide. However, water is the most important limiting factor for wheat production. This study was initiated to test water stress environmental effects on grain quality and nutritional value of wheat by using single different water conditions at post-anthesis stage. Further analyses were conducted to examine variations in concentrations and compositions of the bioactive compounds and nutritions in strong-gluten winter wheat subjected to different levels of water deficit during grain filling. For the experiment on the response to different soil water conditions during post-anthesis stage, effects of soil water environment on protein content and composition in the grains were significant. Soil water conditions in this study greatly affected mineral contents in the grains of winter wheat, particularly with regard to the major minerals (P, K, Ca and Mg). Water deficit during grain filling can result in a decrease in lipid contents in wheat grains, which agrees well with experimental findings elsewhere. Concomitantly, a mild water deficit during grain filling would be beneficial to the grain filling and starch compositions, significantly improved bread-making quality. Therefore, it was concluded that good management of wheat field water at post-anthesis stage was helpful to improving grain quality and nutritions relevant to processing and human nutrition.

Green leaf volatiles play vital roles in plant biotic stress; however, their functions in plant responses to abiotic stress have not been determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of (Z)-3-hexeny-1-yl acetate (Z-3-HAC), a kind of green leaf volatile, in alleviating the salinity stress of peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L. ) seedlings and the underlying physiological mechanisms governing this effect. One salt-sensitive and one salt-tolerant peanut genotype were primed with 200 μM Z-3-HAC at the 4-week-old stage before they were exposed to salinity stress. Physiological measurements showed that the primed seedlings possessed higher relative water content, net photosynthetic rate, maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, activities of the antioxidant enzymes, and osmolyte accumulation under salinity conditions. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species, electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde content in the third fully expanded leaves were significantly lower than in nonprimed plants. Additionally, we found that application of Z-3-HAC increased the total length, surface area, and volume of the peanut roots under salinity stress. These results indicated that the green leaf volatile Z-3-HAC protects peanut seedlings against damage from salinity stress through priming for modifications of photosynthetic apparatus, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and root morphology.

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